I recently subscribed to the Career Pivot podcast by Marc Miller. In a blog post he wrote about taking the time to create an inventory of your talents ( something you are good at, that  seems natural or comes easy to you)  and your skills (something  you have learned, practiced and are now good at).

This distinction gave me pause but very quickly I recognized that my talent would be organization and time management. These are things I do innately in all realms of my life. They are also something I find hard to describe or teach to others.

Miller says that after decades in the workforce you likely have acquired a long list of skills. I had to think a bit more about my skills. I spent some time reflecting on my facilitation skills. I did put in time learning different techniques and now have a toolkit of approaches and processes for almost any group. There was a time I needed time to think through group dynamics and look through files and books to prepare my facilitation. This skill now flows more naturally such that I can step into a group or meeting and facilitate more fluidly than early in my career.

What are your talents and your skills?